To invest in a juicer, or not to invest in a juicer?
This is a question I’ve been asking myself for the past year and a half or so.
With all the hype around juicing, plus the countless nutrition and foodie documentaries I’ve watched on Netflix, it’s been difficult not to wonder how much fresh-pressed juice can really benefit the human body.
I’ve looked into different juice cleanses, and I’ve always been on the fence.
On one hand, the idea of flushing your body with nutrients while allowing it to rid itself of everything else sounds like a good idea. On the other hand, it also sounds extreme; no food equals nothing for your body to break down, which could possibly equal a shocked digestive system.
At least that’s where my head’s at.
Nonetheless, I actually tried a cleanse once. But then my BFF convinced me to have some red wine with her and… well… what’s a girl to do?
I fell off the wagon.
Despite my mixed feelings towards juice cleanses, you might be surprised to hear that I actually now have a juicer. Surprise!
No, I didn’t buy one; my parents lent me theirs since they apparently never use it. I now have the Breville Ikon Juicer, Model BJE510XL. Fancy, huh?
But would I recommend someone else to invest in a juicer?
Well, I’m still not sure. They’re really pricey, and it depends on what you’re looking for. Here’s my take:
For a nutrient express or to use nutrition as a medicine, get a juicer.
To drink liquid fruits and veggies combined with other foods for meals, stick with a blender.
I’m obviously not a doctor or nutritionist, but I’ve learned some things about juicing either from reading up on the internet or from personal experience.
What I’ve learned about juicing
– Be careful about mixing fruits and vegetables. According to a post I read on all-about-juicing.com, your body uses different enzymes to digest fruits and veggies. They can take different amounts of time to digest, which can apparently cause gas buildup. It’s the same as when you eat fruits with other foods. Some people might not notice any gas, but others do.
– DO NOT juice a full beet and drink it on an empty stomach. I did this the other morning, thinking it was going to be delicious (I love beets). I juiced a full beet, a full batch of carrots, a couple celery sticks, some cucumber, and a piece of ginger. It went down well, but 15 minutes later, I was throwing the juice right back up. After looking into it, I’ve learned that apparently beet juice is really potent stuff and one shouldn’t juice any more than a quarter of a beet at a time. This brings me to my next point…
– Don’t overdo it. Fruits and vegetables are obviously normally broken down by your body when you eat them, but a juicer does all of the breaking down for you. All of those nutrients and vitamins are immediately absorbed into your system, hence the term “nutrient express”. It sounds awesome, and I think it is. But it’s also something not to be toyed with. When you eat food, the breaking down that your digestive system does slows down the absorption of nutrients. With juiced food, it hits your system all at once.
– Drink the juice within 15 minutes of extracting it. Apparently, you start to loose the nutrients after you cut or juice fruits or veggies. And we don’t want that, do we?
– There’s not as much cleanup as you’d think. One thing that steered me away from ever buying a juicer is people telling me that the cleanup is horrible. Truth be told, it’s really not. All parts of the juicer that I’m using are dishwasher-safe, and you can put a bag over the pulp/waste basket so that you don’t even have to wash that part. It’s awesome.
Alright, that’s all I’ve learned so far. Hopefully this provided you with some insight!
Until next time, stay fabulous.
xo
Sources: http://www.hungrymeetshealthy.com/friday-five-3/, http://uproxx.com/smokingsection/2013/08/rapsody-ft-phonte-jay-electronica-jedi-code-prod-by-9th-wonder/, http://replygif.net/t/throw-up, http://jjb.yuku.com/reply/10432575/–s-Britney-Bitch-Femme-Fatale–kind–woman-men-want–should, http://www.studentbeans.com/mag/en/sex-relationships/9-ways-to-disguise-your-walk-of-shame, http://becuo.com/you-are-awesome-gif, http://www.brevilleusa.com/the-juice-fountain-multi-speed.html
Jessica Ellis
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